Life-saving buoy



C. G. JOHNSON.

LIFE SAVING BUOY.

APPLICATION FlLED JUNE 8.1920.

1,377,486. Patented May 10, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

adrlesfidiirwon 0. JOHNSON. LIFE SAVING BUOY.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8,1920.

1,377,43 Patented May 10,1921.

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l I, t I I IIIIII I I I: 1 I I m I I I I I I I I I II I I III III I, IIIIIIIII UNITED STATES CHARLES ,enonen :romvson, or slum STE. MARIE, Mrcrrrqrm, 'Assreivonor HALF T0 inns mmnwro LARSEN, or SAULTS'IE. MARIE, max m A E T FI LIrE-sAvrNG BUOY.

Application filed June 8, 1920'. Serial No. 387,437. 7

Z '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES GEORGE JoHNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sault Ste. Marie, in the county of Chippewa and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Buoys, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a saving buoy for ships, and has for its object to provide a device of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby it will float on the surface of i the water and house a number ofpersons in safety and comparative comfort in the event the ship sinks.

Further objects of'the invention are'to provide a life saving deviceof this charac ter which has a strong and durable construction, which is absolutely dependable in its operation and is at all times ready derstanding of the'inventionreference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional view through a life saving buoy constructed in accordance with the invention, a portion of the ventilating tower being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view on the line 22of'Fig. 1. v Fig. 3 is a top plan view pf the device.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the lined- 4: of Fig. 1; Corresponding andilike parts are referred to in the "following description and indicated in all of the views of the drawings by like reference characters. Specifically describing the present embodiment of the invention, the-numeral 1 designates the middle portion ofthe' sheet metal shellor casing, said middle portion being preferably cylindrical in shape since 1 a body with a circular cross section when life ently possesses agreatamount ofstrength Specification of Letters Patent. Patent dlu 10; 1921 g 7 and power to resist forces acting upon the exterior thereof. The'bottom 20f the shell s tapered and substantially frusto: conical 1n shape,'as is also the top 3; :A floor 4 extends transversely across the interior of the shell, at the lower end of the cylindrical Y I body fportion l" thereof, and a transverse wall 5 is provided below the floor. space between the wall 5 and the bottomof the shell is filled with some. heavy material such as concrete 6. which operates to maintain the buoy in an upright position and prevent it from becoming top heavy when floating; .A water compartment 7 "is provided between the fiO0I'4 and the wall 5, sa d water compartment surrounding acen-f tral spacej8 which is provided by theup right Walls 9; i V

This space 8 is water tight and'has a 'reel' 10 housed within the same. Suitable bean ings'll are provided for the reel, and a cable 12 w'hichis connected to'the reeliextends through atubular-guide member 13 to the exte'rior of the buoy, said'guide member be ing. arranged within-the water compartment 7 andconnecting the walls thereof. A suitable guide roller 14" is arranged at theinner end'of the tube 13 and serves to direct the cable 12as-it-is taken in or let out. The opposite'end of'the cable 12 is intended to be fastened to the "chip so that in the event the ship sinks the cable will unwind from the reel and maintain 'a connection between the buoy and the ship, thereby enabling the sunken ship to be located. The

buoy will, of course, rest. loosely upon a suitable cradle or seat p rovidedongthe deck of the ship, in the well known manner. This cradle' will hold the buoy against lateral displacement under all normal conditions, although the buoy is not held against up' ward movement, being free to fioat if the vessel sinks.

Provision may also be made forlcontrolling the reel 10 from the living compartment within theupper portion of the hollow buoy. "A vertical shaft '15 is shown'as extending downwardly through the fioor4, the lower end of the shaft being geared at 16- to' the reel, while the upper end thereof is provided with a handle 17 1 The stuffing box 18 provides a water tight bearing in the floor 4:, "so that there'is no danger of water entering .the living compartment of the buoy through the shaft bearing. A second shaft 19 is also shown extending through the floor-4c, the lower end of the shaft having an operative connection with a brake 20, while the upper end thereof is provided with a handle 21. A brake means is thus provided for controlling the reel, and there is also a positive means for rotating the reel in'either direction should this become necessary or desirable.

The inclined sidesof the top 3 are provided with a pair of man holes '22 each of which has an outer glass trap door 23, and preferably an inner solid metal door 28 in the event the outer door is brokenby accident, all of said doors being constructed to pro vide a water tight closure when closed. The flat upperend of the top is provided with a series of deck lights 2%, and a ventilating tubeor tower 25 extends centrally through the top.- An upright shaft 26 is arranged axially within the ventilating tube 25, being maintained in position by spiders 27, and being provided at its upper end with a cap 28 for the ventilating tube 25. The lower end of the said shaft is provided with a crank handle 29, and the shaft has a threaded engagement 30 with one of the spiders 27 so that it is moved longitudinally when it is rotated by the crank handle. The cap 28 can thus be raised or lowered and lifted above the ventilating tube or brought into engagement therewith. A gasket 31 on the cap is adapted to engage a corresponding seat at the upper extremity of the ventilating tube to insure a water tight joint when the cap is closed. Arranged above the cap is a cage 32 within which a suitable signal light may be placed. The interior of the buoy provides a living compartment t which access is had through the man holes 22. An annular seat 33 extends around the living compartment just above the floor 4, the back of the seat being shown as provided by a series of annular strips 34 which are secured to an inner wall 35. This inner wall is spaced from the outer wall of the buoy, thereby providing an air space between the members which prevents sudden changes of temperature from being transmitted through the walls of the buoy to the seat. The occupants of the buoy are thus protected against extreme heat or cold.

The upper edge of the inner wall 35 is riveted at 36 to the outer shell of the buoy and then deflected inwardly to provide aflange 37 which is perforated at intervals, as indicated at 38. If necessary, straps can be suitably attached to this perforated flange 37 for the purpose of holding the occupants of the buoy in proper position on the seat. The floor 4 is provided with a trap door 39 arranged over the water compartment 7, said compartment being adapted to contain a supply of fresh water when the life saving device is used upon ocean going vessels. A faucet 40 is provided under the seat for drawing water as needed from the exterior of the buoy, and suitable toilet facilities are provided as indicated at 41. The exterior of the buoy is preferably provided with one or more rails 4L2 to which any unfortunates lay cling who may not be able to get into the interior ofthe buoy. These rails would also enable the buoy to be used as a life saver in the event the vessel should sink so quickly that there was no opportunity to enter the buoy at the time.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A life saving buoy including a hollow shell inclosing a living compartment, walls providinga closed chamber within the shell separate from the living compartment, a reel mounted within the chamber, a tubular cable guide extendin from the chamber to the exterior of the shell, a cable extending through the guide and attached to the reel, and control means for the reel operable from the living compartment.

2. A life saving buoy including a hollow shell inclosing a living compartment, a floor extending transversely across the shell and providing a water compartment below the same, walls providing a separate closed chamber under the floor and within the water compartment, a reel mounted within the chamber, a tubular cable guide extending from the chamber to the exterior of the shell, a cable connected to the reel and extending through the guide, and control means for the reel operable from the livingcompartment. I

3. A. life saving buoy including a hollow shell, inclosing a living compartment, a transverse floor extending across the shell at the bottom of the living compartment, a reel mounted within the shell under the floor, a tubular cable guide extending to the exterior of the shell, a cable extending through the guide and connected to the reel, a shaft extending through the floor and geared to the reel for operating the same,

a second shaft extending through the floor,

and a brake operable by the second shaft.

4:. A life saving buoy including a hollow shell, a pair of spaced transverse walls extending across the lower end of the shell, the upper wall providing a floor for a living compartment above the same and a water compartment being provided between the two walls, a weight confined under the lower wall, upright walls connecting the two transverse walls and'providing a separate closed chamber surrounded by the water compartment, a reel mounted within the chamber, a tubular cable guide extending from the chambert'o the outside of the shell, a cable extending through the guide and connected to the reel, a shaft extending through the floor into the chamber and operable from the living compartment, and

means associated with the shaft forcontrol:

lower wall and the bottom of the shell, up-

rightwalls connecting the two transverse walls and providing a separate chamber within the water compartment, a reel mounted within the separate chamber, and a cable operatively associated with the reel and extending to the exterior of the shell.

6. A life saving buoy including a hollow shell inclosing a living compartment, walls providing an interior closed chamber within the hollow shell, a tubular guide extending from the walls of the chamber through the, exterior :of the" shell, a reel mounted within the shell, a cable extending through the tubular guide" and connected to the reel,

shafts extending through the walls of the chamber and operable from the living. com

partment, gearing controlled by one ofthe' shafts for operating the reel, and a brake controlled by the other shaft for controlling the reel.

7. A lifesaving buoy including a hollow shell inclosinga living compartment, walls providing a separate closed chamber arranged within the hollow shell and spaced from the walls thereof, a reelwithin the said chamber, a cable connected to the reel and,

extending through the buoy to the exterior thereof, a shaft extending through the walls of the chamber and operable from the living compartment, and means actuated by the shaft for control-ling the reel.

' In testimonylwhereof I affix my si I ature.

C'HARL S GEORGE J OH 

